Missouri’s Dependence on Imported Coal

Missouri is highly dependent on imported coal, spending $1.13 billion in 2008 to import over 99% of the coal used by its power plants. The document highlights that this expenditure represents a significant economic drain, suggesting that energy efficiency standards and renewable energy resources, such as wind and bioenergy, could redirect funds back into the local economy.

• In 2008, Missouri was the most dependent state on net coal imports as a share of total power use at 82 percent. The state imported more than 99 percent of the coal used by its power plants, primarily from Wyoming, resulting in a net outflow of $1.13 billion.
• AmerenUE is the largest importer of coal in Missouri, spending $565 million in 2008. Its Labadie plant in Franklin County is the state's most import-dependent facility, spending $241 million that year, and ranks as the eleventh-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions among coal plants in the United States.
• Missouri's investment in energy efficiency is low, spending only 22 cents per person on ratepayer-funded programs in 2007. The document suggests that reducing electricity use by 1 percent annually could save consumers $30 million and prevent $13 million from leaving the state in the first year.
• Missouri has significant renewable energy potential, specifically in wind and bioenergy, with the technical capacity to generate nearly nine times its 2008 electricity needs. Since 2007, over 300 megawatts of wind power have been installed, and companies like Show Me Energy are producing electricity from crop residues and native perennial grasses.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). Missouri’s Dependence on Imported Coal. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Missouri.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Missouri’s Dependence on Imported Coal. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Missouri.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Missouri’s Dependence on Imported Coal |date=May 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Missouri.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010missouris, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Missouri’s Dependence on Imported Coal}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Missouri.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }